Birthday:May 13th 2007Coloration:BlackLikes:She likes everything including her new sisfur!Pet-Peeves:Getting her medicineFavorite Toy:Anything she can bat around(especically her fuzzy ball)Favorite Nap Spot:Onyx's tower or any place on or next to one of usFavorite Food:Everything - she climbs daddy's legs at the dinner table!Skills:She is a great climberDwells:
indoors Arrival Story:We went to Animal Care and Control, looking for another kitty to keep Onyx company. We saw Cinder (they were calling her "Pretty") and my daughter fell in love on the spot. When we went to the desk to complete the adoption, we were told that our kitty was scheduled to go on the mobile adoption unit to an event the next day. Our hearts dropped! I told the woman at the counter that
although other cats were marked as going out, this one wasn't and we really wanted this one! I think the look of disappointment on our faces (Abby's especially) is what won them over. The lady talked to her surpervisor who talked to the person in charge of the event who agreed to let us take Cinder home! We were so happy, Abby was literally dancing!Bio:We were surprised that although she is only about 3 months old, Cinder was already spayed. She was also vaccinated and microchipped. We paid extra for FeLV and FIV testing , although I think they must already do this when they come in to prevent an outbreak in such close quarters. She gets a free vet check up which we scheduled for Monday. She is a sweetie, so friendly and playful for such a young cat who seems to have been through a lot in very short amount of time.Forums Motto:Fearless Fur FighterThe Last Forum I Posted In:Growing up Catster's Valentines bash

I, Cinder, the dainty one

First, I want to thank everyone for their kind words, rosettes, gifts, stars, and pmails. I can't begin to tell you how much they mean to me and to my family. Losing Cinder was such a shock, it seems like a bad dream. You have all touched our hearts in a way that I cannot thank you enough for.

Here is Cinder's story:

We adopted on Friday, July 13th, 2007 from Animal Care & Control. AC&C is the city pound and therefore has a high kill rate. This is why we went there first when we decided to get a kitten. She was adopted to be a companion for Onyx, our other kitty. She & Onyx were good buddies within a week. It shows just how special Cinder was, given how cranky Onyx before Cinder came to live with us. Once Cinder became a member of our family,Onyx mellowed out and became a much happier kitty.

When we adopted Cinder, we paid extra to have her tested for feline leukemia, to protect Onyx from exposure. The test was negative, and Cinder moved right in. A year and a half later (almost to the day), our poor Cinder is at bridge - she had advanced lymphoma, the result of infection with feline leukemia.

Sunday, while I was getting the beasties' food ready, Cinder did her usual thing - climbing on the kitchen counter to supervise the food distribution. When I picked her up to put her by the food dishes, I noticed that she had lost weight - I could feel her ribs and hips. I didn't know how this could happen so suddenly. Cinder has never been a cuddle kitty, preferring to be nearby rather than being held, but I trimmed her claws last weekend and she does this counter thing every morning - she was fine a couple of days before - the weight loss was almost overnight. That evening, she started having trouble breathing. I knew I had to get her to a vet as soon as I could. Monday morning she tried to eat, she tried to drink water, but she couldn't. She couldn't catch her breath well enough to eat or drink. I was at the vet as soon as soon as they opened to walk-ins.

They took her right in and did x-rays and an ultrasound. She had a huge amount of fluid in her chest, what looked like a mass in her belly, and her liver was enlarged. She was very very sick. The vet said there would be no good outcome, it was either lymphoma or FIP and while if it was lymphoma we could do chemotherapy, Cinder would never be cured.

We visited with her and agonized over what to do. I wanted keep my Cindercat around for as long as possible, but to put her through days, or weeks (6 months at most, only if she responded to treatment) of torture would be inexcusable. She hated vet visits, getting very stressed out just being in the carrier, never mind the actual exam. They had to sedate just to get the x-rays - she was getting so stressed they thought she would die just trying to get the x-rays done. We decided to send Cinder to the Rainbow Bridge, where she would be healthy and whole again.

Because of her age and the severity of her illness, the vet did some tests to find out if Cinder had FeLV, FIV, or FIP. Most cases of lymphoma (especially in young cats) are found in cats who have one or more of these diseases, and we have three other kitties to worry about. Unfortunately, Cinder's tests showed that she was positive for feline leukemia. We had done the right thing in letting her go - no treatment would have helped her at the stage she was in.

Apparently, the virus takes time to incubate before it shows up on a test, and since Cinder was only 9 weeks old when we adopted her, it was likely that her exposure was after she was born, but close enough to when she was turned in that it didn't show up. No one at the shelter told us this or recommended re-testing. I took Cinder to a vet within a week of adopting her, and that vet said nothing about re-testing or vaccinating either cat against FeLV. We stopped using that vet and when it was time for Cinder's booster shots, the vet we went to then said nothing about false negatives, re-testing or vaccination. Not knowing that Cinder was FeLV+, we adopted Horus a few months after we adopted Cinder, and rescued Blackie a few months ago. We have to wait 8 weeks to get them all tested and get an accurate result.

The virus is very short lived outside the body, and adult cats are less susceptible to infection than kittens, so we have hope that Onyx, Horus & Blackie will remain infection-free and healthy for many years to come. I will post an update when we get everyone tested and have the results.

I can't say much right now except that our poor little Cinder is now an angel. She became very sick in an extremely short amount of time, and left for the bridge today. Please send your purrs and prayers her way.